Types of Honey

Mono Floral and Poly Floral Honeys

Honey can be segregated into two basic categories: Mono floral and Poly floral.

Mono floral – this is honey where the bees collected the nectar from a single type of flower. This honey is more expensive because the beekeepers have significantly more work to make sure the bees only have access to a single type of flower. Each type of Mono floral honey has a distinct flavor from other Mono floral varieties.

Poly floral – this is the most popular commercial method for producing honey. The bees collect nectar from any nectar sources available (often referred to as “Wildflower” honey). This is the easiest honey for the beekeepers as they don't have to take extra precautions to prevent the hive from visiting only one specific flower type.

Honey Flavors and Honey Selection Guide

As a rule-of-thumb, lighter-colored honeys tend to be milder in flavor and darker-colored honeys have a bolder taste.

Each flower (nectar source) has a different make-up of sugars, minerals and enzymes. Darker honeys such as Florida Gallberry and Palmetto tend to have a higher mineral content than lighter colored honeys. Some health food experts and people with pollen allergies that eat honey prefer darker colored honeys.

Sourwood honey is a very popular honey produced in the Eastern United States, particularly in the southern Appalachian Mountains, including North Georgia, Western Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Other areas may advertise Sourwood honey, but you should check to see if it is mixed with other types on honey.

Sourwood honey is extra-light to light amber color and extremely aromatic, with a distinctive rich honey flavor. Learn more about Sourwood honey.......

Orange Blossom Honey

Orange Blossom honey is produced in Florida, California and Texas. As you might have guessed, Orange Blossom honey is produced from Orange Tree blossoms. The Orange blossom is Florida’s state flower.

Typical Orange Trees grow to a height of 12 to 30 feet, although there are dwarf varieties available. This honey has a medium color and slight citrus flavor. This honey is commonly used with ham biscuits, pancakes, waffles, toast, yogurt and in tea.

At ArmadilloPepper.com all of our Orange Blossom honey is made in a small town in North Florida.

Tupelo Honey Tupelo honey is produced from the Nyssa Ogeche, a.k.a. White Tupelo Tree, whichgrows in the Florida panhandle (Appalachicola river basin) and parts of South Georgia. It is a light golden-amber color with a greenish tint and has a very mild, floral taste.

Tupelo honey is higher in simple sugars than other honeys and as a result it does not crystallize.Learn more about Tupelo honey........

Gallberry HoneyGallberry honey is produced from a small evergreen holly bush called Ilex Glabra or commonly known as Inkberry. This bush grows in the Southern Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and reaches a height of 6 to 8 feet. It grows naturally in the pine flatwoods and is also used in landscaping.

Gallberry honey is very popular in Southern Georgia and Florida. It is a dark, stronger flavored honey and is prized for its rich taste. Learn more about Gallberry honey.....

Wildflower Honey

Wildflower honey is a Poly floral honey which is made from the "nectar of many different flower sources". The flavor and color of Wildflower honey can vary from year-to-year due to the variation in timing of the flower blooms.

People with pollen allergies that eat honey often prefer Wildflower honey and indicate that it slowly builds immunity to pollen allergies. Please note, that some people have allergies to honey and you should always consult your doctor.

At ArmadilloPepper.com all of our Wildflower honey is made in North Florida.

Comb HoneyMany people prefer honey with the comb. You can cut off a piece of the comb and chew it like chewing-gum, then discard the beeswax when finished. ArmadilloPepper.com offers Comb Honey from Florida.